Box ship to use synthetic natural gas in world-first retrofit

摘要

MAN Energy Solutions and Wessels Marine GmbH have announced a technical showcase whereby the 2017-LNG retrofitted Wes Amelie, a 1,036-teu feeder container ship, will use liquefied synthetic natural gas (SNG) produced from renewable electrical energy as drop-in fuel. To demonstrate that SNG can successfully be used as shipping fuel, 20 of the 120 tonnes of LNG that Wes Amelie typically uses per round trip will be replaced by climate-neutral SNG. As a result, CO_2 emissions are expected to decline by 56 tonnes for this trip. The two German-headquartered companies are co-operating on the Wes Amelie project with Germany-based Nauticor, an LNG transportation company, and Danish logistics company Unifeeder, which is chartering the vessel. German automobile manufacturer Audi's Power-to-Gas facility in Werlte, where a liquefaction plant is currently under construction, will provide the SNG. The fuel will be generated by wind energy and is 100% climate-neutral. Wes Amelie's SNG showcase trip will take place after the completion of the liquefaction plant in Q2 2020. The vessel's owner, Wessels Reederei (Haren/Ems), previously made headlines in 2017 when its MAN 8L48/60B main engine was retrofitted to its current, four-stroke MAN 51/60DF unit that enables dual-fuel operation - the first such conversion of its type. Wessels Marine managing director Christian Hoepfner says: "The Wes Amelie project has always been about demonstrating the technologically doable, while pointing out the regulatory actions necessary to make it possible. The initial retrofit to LNG took support from the German government to be financially viable, but it was a huge success for the environment in that it drastically reduced emissions. As a consequence, there now is a retrofit programme in place to make more retrofits happen."